Surgical stitching instrument for eye and plastic surgery



Feb. 27, 1945. D KARLE 2,370,545

SURGICAL STITCHING INSTRUMENT FOR EYE AND PLQSTIC SURGERY Filed Sept. 5, 1945 Patented Feb. 27, 1945 UNIT D-STAT SURGICAL EYE'AND John nintrie, attain The. Singer Manui s'rrrcHING ms'rltomtn'rron Q rms'rrozsun'onmz 1 e Pariah; 3;, seems acturing Com" any, Eliza I 'beth, N. 5., acorporationof New ersey;

5 Application seemed a, '1 94a',"smi ,uo;so1.ors

- s'olaimsi (91.12 v p Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view oi the forward or needle holdir'r'g end of the in- This invention relates to surgical'stitching instruments and more particularly to aninstrument especiallyadapte'd for eye and plastic surgery and other suturing operations in which a relatively small and/orlightweight instrument may be used to advantage. r One object of this invention is to provide a strume'nt.

surgical stitching instrument capable of being readily adjusted as to length to adapt it for the Specific suturing operation it is to perform. For

plastic surgery or other deliexample, when eye,

to be performed it onto surface operations are is desirable that the suturing instrument be relatively small and of light weight so that it conveniently may be held in and manipulated by the fingers, of thesurgeon. For deep suturing, as, for example, when operating within the abdominal cavity it is essential that the suturing instrument bematerially surface suturing. H v

This invention therefore has provided a lightweight suturinginstrument in which the needlelonger than isdesirable for carrying bar is telescopically mounted in the han dle of the instrument and therefore may be retracted or extended as desired. it Another object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified form of needle clamping means operable wholly from the free or needle end of the instrument and adapted yieldingly to gripthe straight shank of aneedle toprevent the needle from dropping from the needle-clamp and to permit the needle to be turned; 360 degrees about the axis of its shank.

Still another object is to provide means operating in conjunction with the yielding needleclamping means positively to lock the needle in any one of a plurality of angular positions.

With the above and other objects in; view, as

will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which-the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. r

In the drawing, 7 7 Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a surgical stitching instrument embodying the present invention.. showing, in full lines, the needle-supporting bar extended from the handle and, in dotted lines, the bar partiallyretracted. Fig. 2' is an enlarged left end view of the instrument shown in Fiz- 1, needle broken away, a

with a portion of the 4 is an -enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1-.

' Fig. disahenlarged plan view of the left end of theinstrument shown .in Fig. l. Fig fiis a transverse sectional view taken substantially onthe linefi i of Figs. ,3 and 5, and Fig-Wis a disassembled perspective view of the various elements comprising the leftend portion of the instrumentshown in Fig- 1. Referring more specifically to the drawing, the invention is disclosed asembodied in 'a surgical stitching instrument comprising a lightweight hollow handle], having-,in oneend, a bore 2 in which :isslidinglyfitted a needle-supporting bar 3,. ,Surrounding one, end of thehandle i is the cylindrical portion 4 of a spool-holder 5 including ar'oup-like portion 6 housing a spool I upon whichis wound suturing thread it which is led to the eyes of the needle n, held at the free end of the bar; 3, as later will be described. This spool-holder, and the means for supporting the spool therein and the manually. releasable spooltion detailillustration and description thereof is deemed unnecessary. 1 r

The bar Sis; teleseoplcallynrounted in thehandle and, when'desired, may be extended even beyond. the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. be extended until the right end thereof (Fig. 1) coincides with the right endof the bore versely-afiecting the support-'ofthe bar in the handle." Likewise, when desired, the bar may be adjusted inwardly into-the handle thereby to shorten theyover all length ofthe instrument. The -mai ;imum inward adjustment" of the bar I would carry the needle-clamping sleeve,- later to be d'escribem-into contact with the" left end of the handle. The bar is lockedin its various positions ofadjustment: by means of a manually actuated thumb-screw it threaded-through the handle and bearing; against the" bar.- To prevent rotation of the bar in the handle, the bar is formed with a longitudinal-slot 3* into which the reduced inner end of; the thumbescrew is fitted.

The shank s of the needle 7 is preferably made octagonal in cross section and; the needle cla-mp is soconstructed that-it yieldingly grips the shank 2 in the handle, without adthe member needle from falling to be rotated about,

formed on theouter end needle-clamp which engages one side of the shank jaw is a movable jaw comprising a washer-like member ll having a central aperture 12 having,

straight sidewalls slidinglyfitted upon a flattened portion 3' of the bar 3 adjacent the head l0. -Engagement of the straight sidewalls of the aperture with the fiat walls of the bar prevents rotation of the member ll. sides of its center, the jaw member Ilfis formed with aligned V-shaped notches l3 whichface the arcuate wall of the bore 9 in the head Ill. The fiat walls of the notches are adaptedto engage. alternate fiat sides of the octagonal shank of the needle, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.

The movable clamp jaw ,isurged toward the stationary jaw by a coilspring surrounding the flattened portion 3 of the needle-supporting bar 3 and bearing, at one end, against the washer II and, at its other end, against a shoulder l5 formed within a bore l6' in a manually rotatable clamp-locking. sleeve H. The sleeve I1 is threaded upon a threaded portion I8 of the bar 3 and has a knurledouter surface I9 which facilitates manual rotation of the sleeve. I

When the sleeve I1 is backed off to the right from the position shown in Fig. 3, the left end'of the sleeve will be separated from'the jaw H which, however, will be maintained in pressure contact with the shank of the needle by the spring l4. With the parts inthat position the needle shank will be yieldingly gripped: between the fixed and movable jaws'and therefore will be held against dropping from the instrument. The needle may then be rotated about the axis oiits shankto any desired one of eight predetermined angular positions. In each of those'positions the fiat walls of the V-shaped notches l3 in the movable jaw will engage alternateflat faces on the octagonal shank of the needle, as hereinbefore explained. When the desired angular setting of the needle has been obtained the sleeve I1 is screwed to theleft (Fig; 3) against the member I I and increases the pressure of the clamp jaws onthe shank of the looking it against axial displacement or further rotation. I I

Secured at its opposite ends to the head [0 of the needle-supporting bar 3, .is a combined.

needle-stop and thread-guiding member 20. This member has. its mid-portion 20 spaced from the head It] and oif-set to overlie the shank of the needle thereby linfiting the upward movement of At each side of the needle-shank the needle.

20 provides a loop 2| which afiords a guide for the suturing thread in its passage from the spool 1 to the needle. The thread guide .to be used will depend upon whether the needle projects to the right or to the left of the axis of the instrument.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that this invention has provided an improved lightweight surgical stitching instrumentparticularly adapted for delicate suturing operations but. which, by extension of the'needleof the needle. Cooperating with the fixed At diametrically opposite needle, thereby positively carrying bar, may also be utilized to advantage for deep suturing operations. 1

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. An extensible surgical stitching instrument comprising a handle, a needle-supporting bar telescopically mounted in saidhandle for endwise adjustment relative thereto, means to lock said bar in said handle in its various positions of axial adjustment, and a needle-clamp at the outer end of said bar.

v.2. An extensible surgical stitching instrument comprising I a handle, a needle-supporting bar telescopically mounted in said handle for endwise adjustment relative thereto,

means to prevent relative 'rotationbetween said bar and handle,

various positions of axial said handle in its adjustment, and a needle-clamp at the outer end of said bar.

3. An extensible surgical stitching instrument comprisin'ga handle, a slotted needle-supporting bar mounted foraxialadjustment in said handle; means carried by'said handle and entering theslot in said bar for preventing rotation of the bar in the handle, means to lock said bar in said handle in its various positions of axial adjustment, and a needle-clamp and actuating means therefor at the outer end of said bar;

4. An extensible surgical stitching instrument comprising a hollow handle having -a reduced bore in its forward end, a slotted needle-supporting bar slidingly mounted in said bore for axial adjustment, a needle-clamp at the outer end of said bar, and a thumb-screw threaded through said handle and bearing against :said bar to hold the bar against axial movement and having a portion entering the slot in the bar to hold the bar against rotation in the handle.

5. A surgical stitching instrument comprising a needle-supporting bar, a yielding needle-clamp at one end of said bar, and manually actuable means to lock said bar in means located at said 'free end ofthe needlesupporting bar and adjacent said needle-clamp to tighten the grip of theneedle-clamp "thereby to prevent rotation of the needle therein.

'3.- A surgical stitching instrument comprising a'needle-supporting bar having a fixed needleclamping jaw adjacent one end, a complemental movableneedle-clamping jaw lidingly mounted on said bar, spring means acting on said movable jaw to urge it into yielding contact with a needle resisted by said fixed jaw, and'me'ans, supplemem tal to said spring means, acting directly on said movable jaw positively to force it into clamping contact with the needle.-

- 7. A surgical stitching "instrument comprising a needle-supporting bar having, adjacent one end, a fixed needle-clamping jaw,- a complemental having an internal abutment; a coil spring surrounding said bar and having one end in contact with said movable jaw and its other 'end in contact with said abutment-, -said spring urging said movable jaw into yielding contact with a needle abutting said fixed jawfiand means for adjusting said sleeve on said bar'to cause it to press said movable jaw into positive locking contact with said needle. 1 1 1 8. A surgical stitching instrument comprising a needle-supporting bar, a fixed needle-clamping jaw provided by said bar adjacent one end thereofla movable needle-clamping jaw comprising a washeri-like member slidingly mounted on said bar, said member being formedt-with spaced and aligned V-shaped needle-shank receiving notches in the face thereof adjacent saidfixed jaw, a sleeve rotatably mounted upon the forward end portion of said bar and having an internal abutment, a coil spring surrounding said bar within said sleeve and having one end thereof in contact with said abutment and its opposite end in contact with said movable jaw to cause said jaws 'yieldingly to grip a needle-shank, and

a screw-threaded connection between said sleeve 10 and bar whereby rotation of said sleeve in one direction causes it to force said movable jaw into 

